Travelers Heading to European Vacation Destinations This Summer Are Facing Unprecedented Wait Times at Immigration. Some Airports Are Reporting Queues That Last for Hours.
The summer travel season to Europe has arrived with a significant problem that is affecting millions of passengers. A new border tracking system designed to enhance security has instead created massive congestion at airports across the continent. Wait times at immigration exceed five hours at some of Europe’s busiest airports, causing passengers to miss flights, creating operational chaos for airlines, and overwhelming airport staff who are unprepared for the volume of people moving through entry and exit checkpoints.
The system causing the disruption is called EES, or the Entry/Exit System. It is designed to track the movement of travelers crossing European borders by recording biometric information including facial recognition scans and fingerprints. The system was supposed to eventually streamline border crossings. Instead, it has become a bottleneck that is creating some of the worst airport congestion Europe has experienced in years.
The airports experiencing the worst disruption are concentrated in Spain, Portugal, Italy, and France, which are among the most popular summer vacation destinations for European and international travelers. But the problem extends across the continent, with delays reported at major hubs across the region. Travelers planning trips to Europe this summer need to understand where the worst delays are occurring and how to navigate the new border system.
Which Airports Are the Worst Right Now
Ryanair, Europe’s largest airline by passenger numbers, has identified seven airports as having the longest EES-related queues during peak summer travel periods. Tenerife South Airport in Spain, which serves the popular Canary Islands vacation destination, is experiencing severe congestion. Palma Airport in Mallorca and Alicante Airport on the Spanish coast are both reporting significant delays. Malaga Airport, another major Spanish gateway to beach destinations, has become a bottleneck. Milan Bergamo Airport, which serves the densely populated regions of northern Italy, is struggling with the processing load. Krakow Airport in Poland has reported longer queues than expected. Paris Beauvais Airport, which serves Paris as a secondary hub for budget carriers, is experiencing disruption.
Other airports have been identified as problematic by various UK airlines operating from Britain. Lisbon Airport in Portugal, a popular gateway to Portugal for British and European travelers, is reporting extended wait times. Porto Airport in northern Portugal is experiencing similar problems. Rome’s airports, including the major Fiumicino hub and Linate serving Milan, have become particularly notorious for long queues. Naples Airport, serving the southern Italy vacation region, has been overwhelmed.
The severity of the problem at some airports has prompted extraordinary measures. The chief executive of Rome’s airport operator has indicated that the airport may be forced to temporarily suspend certain EES checks during the peak summer travel period in order to reduce wait times. This acknowledgment represents a stark admission that the system has design flaws that are making normal operations impossible.
Why This Is Happening Right Now
The EES system officially launched on October 12, 2025, but did not become fully operational at all European borders until April 10, 2026. The ramp-up was gradual, with different airports going live at different times. This rolling implementation meant that not all border points were prepared simultaneously, and training and systems configuration happened in stages. When full implementation arrived in April, airports and border authorities were supposed to be ready to process the volume of travelers using the system. Instead, they were not.
The system requires travelers to register biometric information including fingerprints and facial scans at kiosks when they first enter or exit a Schengen country. On subsequent visits, travelers must verify their details again at the same kiosks. The process is straightforward in theory but becomes problematic when thousands of travelers arrive within a short window at busy airports.
Technical problems have compounded the operational challenges. Some airports do not have sufficient kiosks to handle the volume of passengers. Some border points lack adequate technology infrastructure to support the system. Staff training was incomplete or inadequate at some locations. The combination of technical issues, insufficient infrastructure, and operational unreadiness created the perfect conditions for severe congestion when the busy summer travel season arrived.
Airports Council International, the organization representing airports across Europe, sent an open letter to the European Commission at the end of June documenting the crisis. The organization reported that waiting times had increased significantly, reaching up to five hours during peak traffic periods. The delays were affecting millions of passengers, including families with young children, elderly travelers, and people with reduced mobility. The congestion was causing flight delays and missed connections, creating cascading disruption throughout the airline system.
Understanding What EES Actually Does
The Entry/Exit System is designed to electronically track the movements of travelers who are not EU citizens across the Schengen Area. The system works differently from traditional passport stamping. Instead of a border agent stamping a passport, travelers interact with kiosks that capture biometric information and verify passport details.
On first entry into the Schengen Area, a non-EU traveler must visit an EES kiosk, scan their passport, provide facial recognition scans, and have fingerprints recorded. This information is stored in a database maintained by EU-LISA, the agency responsible for managing the system. On subsequent visits to Europe, the traveler must verify their information at kiosks before departing and upon arrival. The system is designed to provide border authorities with advance knowledge of who is entering and leaving their territory.
The system does not apply to EU citizens, who continue to use traditional passport control. It does not apply to travelers with valid long-stay visas or EU residency permits. It does not apply to Ireland or Cyprus, which continue using manual passport checks. Children under twelve are exempt from providing fingerprints, though they must still register passport information.
The theoretical advantage of the system is that it should eventually eliminate passport stamping, saving space in travelers’ passports, and should provide more efficient processing once fully implemented. For now, the system is creating the opposite effect: longer waits, missed flights, and operational chaos.
The Specific Problems at Major Border Crossings
At Dover, where passengers traveling by ferry or through the Channel Tunnel must process through EES kiosks before boarding, the system has been implemented differently depending on the mode of transportation. Foot passengers and coach passengers use EES kiosks in a dedicated registration area in the Western Docks that contains eighty-four kiosks. However, for car traffic, EES has not yet been implemented due to technical problems, and manual passport checking with stamping continues.
At London St Pancras, where Eurostar passengers depart for Paris and Brussels, the system has created bottlenecks despite Eurostar’s efforts to manage the flow. Forty-nine EES kiosks are spread across three different areas of the station where passengers must register before boarding. The system requires facial recognition verification and biometric capture. Eurostar has added additional manual checking booths and extra staff to handle the volume, but the process still adds time to passenger boarding procedures.
At Folkestone, where LeShuttle passengers board their trains, a drive-through EES registration zone with capacity for fifty-three cars has been established with two hundred twenty-four kiosks. The system is designed to process up to seven hundred cars and two thousand passengers per hour, with each person spending approximately two minutes at the kiosks. Like Dover, EES for car traffic has not been fully implemented due to technical issues, and manual checking continues.
At European airports, the situation varies by location. Larger airports have dedicated EES kiosks in dedicated areas. Smaller regional airports often lack sufficient kiosk infrastructure and must conduct checks at immigration desks, which further slows the process. The lack of standardization and the variation in infrastructure between airports has created inconsistent experiences for travelers and has made it difficult for airlines to predict how much time passengers will need to clear immigration.
How the Congestion Affects Travelers
The practical impact of EES congestion on passengers has been severe. During the Easter travel period, more than one hundred passengers traveling with easyJet from Milan Linate Airport missed their flight to Manchester because the wait to clear EES checks on departure took three hours. Airlines do not wait for passengers who miss boarding, and those passengers lost their flights and had to purchase new tickets or abandon their trips.
Travel insurance typically does not cover delays caused by immigration queues, as travelers are expected to allow sufficient time to clear checkpoints. The Association of British Insurers has stated that losses incurred as a result of EES delays are unlikely to be covered by travel insurance. This means passengers who miss flights due to EES congestion bear the financial burden themselves.
Families traveling with young children have found the long waits particularly difficult. Elderly passengers and people with reduced mobility struggle with hours of standing in immigration queues. The operational disruption extends beyond passengers to airlines, which experience flight delays and cascading schedule disruptions when passengers miss connections due to immigration delays.
Industry Response and Calls for Action
Airlines and airport authorities have called for immediate action to address the crisis. Ryanair, easyJet, and other carriers operating in Europe have requested that the European Commission consider temporarily pausing the EES system during the peak summer travel season until operational problems can be resolved. Industry organizations including Airlines UK and Airlines for America issued a joint statement characterizing the EES rollout as inconsistent and causing confusion for passengers.
The International Air Transport Association warned that wait times could be longer than anticipated because some ports lack adequate technology or sufficient staff. The deputy executive director of Frontex, the EU’s border security agency, warned that disruption could last for two years as the system is gradually debugged and optimized.
The European Commission has signaled flexibility for member states experiencing severe congestion. EU regulations allow member states to temporarily relax or suspend certain EES checks if queues become uncontrollable. Greece has made widespread use of this flexibility, suspending biometric collection to allow faster processing. However, the flexibility is time-limited and ends September 1, meaning that any relief from suspended checks ends when summer travel season begins winding down.
What Travelers Should Know Before Booking
For travelers planning trips to Europe this summer, understanding the EES system and planning for delays is essential. Non-EU travelers must expect to spend time at EES kiosks both upon arrival and departure. First-time registration requires providing fingerprints and undergoing facial recognition scans, which takes longer than verification on subsequent visits.
Travelers should arrive at airports significantly earlier than they normally would to allow time for immigration processing. The standard recommendation is to arrive two to three hours before departing flights, but with EES delays, arriving even earlier may be necessary at airports known to have long queues.
For travelers using land crossings at Dover, St Pancras, or Folkestone, understanding how EES works at those specific locations helps with planning. Foot passengers and coach passengers at Dover process through dedicated EES areas. Eurostar passengers at St Pancras must allow extra time for the registration process. LeShuttle passengers at Folkestone should expect delays in the drive-through EES zone.
Travelers should be aware that some exemptions to EES exist. EU citizens do not need to use the system. Travelers with valid long-stay visas or EU residency permits are exempt. Certain categories of travelers, including those traveling for research, study, or training, may be exempt depending on specific circumstances.
The Temporary Flexibility and Ongoing Challenges
The European Commission’s willingness to allow member states to temporarily suspend EES checks during peak periods demonstrates that the system is not functioning as designed. However, this flexibility is limited and time-bound. Any relief granted during July and August ends on September 1, when stricter enforcement resumes.
The problems with EES are not expected to be quickly resolved. Multiple sources within the aviation industry and border security have warned that disruptions could persist for extended periods as technical issues are debugged and infrastructure is improved at airports that currently lack sufficient capacity.
Planning for Disrupted Travel
Travelers booking European flights this summer should build extra time into their travel plans and expect delays at immigration. The EES system, which was designed to enhance border security and eventually streamline travel, is currently creating the opposite effect. The crisis is real, the delays are substantial, and the solutions remain unclear.
For passengers traveling to Europe this summer, the journey through immigration has become a significant portion of the travel experience. Planning accordingly and understanding where the worst delays are occurring can help mitigate some of the frustration and disruption that has characterized European border crossings since the EES system became fully operational.
